The Most Durable Cast-Iron Skillets for Everyday Cooking

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Whether you're a novice home cook or a seasoned culinary expert, there's one elemental kitchen staple every chef needs: a cast-iron skillet. Durable, versatile, and considered the workhorse of all kitchen pans, a cast-iron skillet does the heavy lifting for most culinary tasks, from frying omelettes to searing seafood and steaks.

To make your search a bit easier, we did the research to find the top-performing, no-nonsense skillets that'll make your meal prep much easier. Here are our picks for the five most durable cast-iron skillets. Dinner's on!

Learn More About Our Top Five Picks:

Best Overall

Bottom Line: A clever silicone handle cover gives this sturdy skillet an edge over its competitors.

An absolute essential in the world of cast-iron cookware, this best-selling 12-inch skillet has over 3,000 reviews on Amazon, the majority of which praise this pan's versatility, durability, easy-to-hold handle, and easy-to-clean pre-seasoned surface. From cornbread to omelettes, this skillet will serve you well for virtually any occasion.

This skillet can be used to sautée, sear, fry, bake, braise, roast, and stir-fry a wide range of different dishes, from omelettes to fillets of fish. It's pre-seasoned with vegetable oil for a natural, easy-release finish that many reviewers agree only gets better with each use. This versatile skillet may be used on various heat sources, including gas, electric, induction, and ceramic-glass top stoves and ovens.

A clever silicone Hot Handle Holder gives this option from Lodge an edge over its competitors, because this feature eliminates the need for an oven mitt when handling or transporting from stovetop to oven. Users especially love using this sturdy and large 12-inch skillet for baked dishes like cornbread or frittatas.

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True of most cast-iron cookware pieces, it should be noted that this skillet weighs a solid eight pounds, so some cooks might find it just a bit clunky to maneuver from surface to surface.

Best Budget Buy

Bottom Line: This is a solid option at an excellent value for home cooks on a budget.

Nearly identical to the Lodge skillet in design and construction yet half the price, this 12-inch cast-iron skillet from Camp Chef gets our vote for most economical option. If you're a home cook on a budget, look no further than this solid skillet.

This skillet has a few user-friendly features that give it an advantage beyond its budget-friendly price point. First, the handles are comfortable in the hand and make maneuvering the skillet quite easy during cooking tasks. Comfort Grip Handles allow for extra leverage and increased control during cooking, too. This skillet is also slightly lighter than some other models — weighing seven pounds — which makes maneuvering even easier.

Though this pan is pre-seasoned with a chemical-free finish, most reviewers noted that its nonstick properties aren't stellar straight out of the box. Like other options, however, the seasoned finish improved over time and becomes more effective the more it's used and conditioned.

Many users take this cooking tool along with them on camping trips for frying bacon and eggs, sausages, and hash browns.

Best Splurge

Bottom Line: Though this skillet is at a much higher price point, it's well-worth the investment in the long run.

It's no surprise that the culinary masters at French cookware brand Le Creuset are behind one of the most highly reviewed cast-iron skillets in the industry. This enameled cast-iron skillet is sturdy and slightly heavier than other skillets, providing even heat retention and distribution, whether it's used on the stovetop or in the oven.

One of the most impressive and commonly praised features of this 11 3/4-inch skillet is its unique black enameled interior, which is designed to resist staining and dulling over time. Unlike some other cast-iron pans, this interior requires no additional seasoning or extra oil, making it a great tool for low-fat cooking. This slick surface also makes cleanup quick and easy. The colorful exterior enamel is designed to resist chipping and cracking, making this skillet super durable.

Users also love the smart helper handle for seamlessly transporting this skillet from one surface to another or from stovetop to oven. Weighing under seven pounds, this skillet is quite easy to maneuver, too.

This one is ideal for dishes cooked at medium heat — think braised meats, roasted veggies, and sauces — but it's also versatile enough to use for sticky breakfast dishes. Many reviewers raved that the Le Creuset cast-iron cookware they received as a wedding or housewarming gift has lasted for decades.

Pros: Long and easy-to-maneuver handle, large pour spouts, lightweight

Con: Rough, textured finish

Bottom Line: With a unique flaxseed pre-seasoned coating, this is one of the best nonstick skillets you can get straight out of the box.

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This 12-inch cast-iron skillet from Victoria is one of the best options straight out of the box due to its impressive pre-seasoned coating, which requires no additional oil to activate its nonstick properties.

The pre-seasoned flaxseed oil coating on this skillet is so effective that most reviewers claimed that food simply didn't stick, even during the pan’s very first use. Requiring no additional oil, some users were shocked at how effective this nonchemical oil coating was during cooking even the stickiest dishes, like scrambled eggs or risotto.

Another user-friendly feature that makes this skillet stand out from the pack is its long, thin handle that curves slightly upward for better leverage. This lightweight skillet weighs under seven pounds, which also helps with overall maneuverability.

Finally, the pour spouts on the sides of this pan are larger and more pronounced than most other models, which helps prevent messy spills of hot oils and meat drippings during cooking.

Note: Some reviewers took issue with this pan's slightly rough, uneven finish, which makes the pan sit just slightly unbalanced on flat surfaces, though this didn't seem to affect the overall performance.

Slightly lighter than the other options on this list at under seven pounds, Calphalon's cast-iron skillet is easier to maneuver for cooking and cleaning. An oversized handle also helps with leverage.

Another user-friendly feature is this pan’s interior design. With interior edges that are softer and more rounded than other models, food is less likely to stick in sharp corners, which makes cleanup much faster.

Because some reviewers found the nonstick seasoned coating to take a bit of time and repeated daily use in order to work effectively, we recommend using a small amount of cooking oil when first using this pan to build up the nonstick coating.

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